The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss

Ferriss, Timothy. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich. New York: Crown, 2007.

The 4-Hour Workweek sounds like a dream only the independently wealthy and part-time retirees can enjoy. Timothy Ferriss has written about how the new rich enjoy independence now, without spending decades saving up for it.

Ferris describes four steps the new rich follow to achieve their lifestyle. They make a handy acronym: DEAL.

The deal starts with definition. You cannot live the lifestyle you want until you clearly define it. The dream-lining method he describes will encourage you to reach out for those big goals now and not wait.

The next step is elimination. The currency of the new rich is time. They ruthlessly cut out anything that wastes time. If it is not what they want to do, or contributing significantly to their income, they drop it. Ferriss applies the Pareto principle that 80 percent of the results come from 20 percent of the effort. The daring step taken by the new rich is actually cutting out the 80 percent of unproductive activity.

Automation is about freeing up time and making money. The new rich are not interested in accumulating wealth. The idea is to have a stream of income that supports your lifestyle without taking up a lot of your time. Ferriss calls these income sources “muses.” They amount to automatic business that run with very little of your direct involvement.



This part of the book focuses on how to lead the lifestyle you want, especially if it involves travel. Ferriss likes to travel and found it is inexpensive to spend extended periods in other countries. There are many temptations to go back to working for works sake and waste time on things that do no contribute to your lifestyle. The new rich do not allow that stuff to draw them away from the liberation they have won.

The bottom line of the new rich is that it is not about having it all. It is about enjoying what you want most.

Best of What I Read in 2007

I read 46 books in 2007. This is not to brag. My reading is not a scholarly endeavor, it is more like a hobby. It is comparable to stamp collecting or knitting, though a philatelist or knitter might have more to show for the hours and effort.For the more discriminating reader, I’ll apply the Pareto Principle to my list of 2007 reads and give you what I think are the top nine.

1. Proverbs (The Bible)
2. Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck
3. The Richest Man Who Ever Lived by Steven K. Scott
4. The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson
5. The Relaxation Response by Herbert Bensen with Mariam Z. Klipper
6. The Way of the Wild Heart by John Eldredge
7. The Beethoven Factor by Paul Pearsall
8. The Club of Queer Trades by G. K. Chesterton
9. Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson

Best of What I Read in 2009

Since starting this blog, I’ve applied the Pareto principle to my reviews and annually selected top 20 percent of the books I’ve read in the last years. In this case, the best 8 out of the 44 books I read in 2009.

1. The Joy of Supernatural Thinking by Bill Bright
2. Why Good Things Happen to Good People by Stephen Post and Jill Neimark
3. Maus by Art Spiegelman
4. The Big Necessity by Rose George
5. Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
6. Triumvirate by Bruce Chadwick
7. Woman in the Dark by Dashiell Hammett
8. Watchmen by Alan Moore with art by Dave Gibbon

Other best of lists
Best of First 100 Books Reviewed
Best of What I Read in 2008
Best of What I Read in 2007

The 80/20 Manager by Richard Koch

Richard Koch is an author and former business consultant who has emphasized the Pareto Rule, which he has branded the 80/20 principle, as a basis for personal improvement, management and organizational development. In The 80/20 Manager, he particularly focuses on managers in businesses.

The basic principle is that 80 percent of the results are produced by 20 percent of the inputs. For instance, a great majority of a company’s profits will result from a few of its customers and products. Similarly, 80 percent of the problems are caused by 20 percent of the constraints. A manager can be more productive by focusing his time and energy on the few things that really matter for producing big results and not wasting it on the many other things that don’t have much effect.

Koch identifies ten types of managers who make use of the 80/20 principle. He has a chapter on each type showing how they find and focus on the vital few things the produce big results. An individual manager is unlikely to operate in all these realms equally. Use the principle and find the one or two types that are likely to produce the best results for you and your organization  and concentrate on developing those skills. As you advance, you may add new or more advanced management strategies if they have the potential to work for you.

The book is a bit uneven in the description of these types of managers. In some cases, Koch provided definite strategies or skills, specific ideas or actions, and examples from the experiences of managers. In others, some ideas are presented, but less concretely.

I found some things in this book that resonated with me. These were areas where I already have talent or skill that is particularly valuable in my work. It makes sense that these are areas where I can get the best results by moving from good to excellent while also requiring the least effort. Perhaps that is the best value of Koch’s discussion of the types of manager; it breaks a broad concept down into more discrete, understandable pieces that give you something to hold onto and a place to start.

If you’re interested in this book, you may also be interested in

The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss

Koch, Richard. The 80/20 Manager: The Secret to Working Less and Achieving More. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2013.